Just the Nearness of You
by Cielag
Summary: After a run-in with some dangerous compsognathus, Nick isn't feeling well and Claudia tries to comfort him. Fluff-fic
1. Just the Nearness of You

**Characters**: Nick and Claudia  
**Spoilers**: None because the series isn't defined in this  
**A/N**: Thanks to **telperion_15** for the idea and **fredbassett** for the push to write this. Also a big thanks to **lukadreaming** for being my beta on this! It's a little fluff-drabble inspired by the discussion of Nick's hair in series three. Also, I own nothing of "Primeval" that belongs to Impossible Pictures and I make no money from this, clearly.  
**Summary: **After a run-in with some compsognathus (compys), Nick isn't feeling well and Claudia tries to comfort him.

* * *

**I. Just the Nearness of You**

Delicate fingers pushed through his dark blond locks bringing Nick immediately out of his pensive thoughts and into a suddenly tensed state. Hastily he sipped more of the tea and tried to wash the look of surprise off of his face. Perhaps if he concentrated enough, the shiver of joy running along his spine would go away. However as Claudia continued to draw his bangs out of his eyes the man found it impossible to ignore his quaking heart. No matter how much he had longed for this sort of tenderness it could not prepare him for this moment. It confused Nick and somewhat frightened him as well.

Over eight years had passed since Helen's betrayal and with her return it only hurt him even more. Sure they were not the model marriage but then again, who was? Nick had loved Helen and she still betrayed him and now she openly attacked him. Little by little Helen was carving her notch into his spirit and taking all that she could. Was she evil though? No. Manipulative? Undoubtedly. But Nick could never bring himself to label his former wife that way. She was still human and like him, Helen still had scars of her own that needed healing. Perhaps the only thing left for them both was to move on.

Claudia had been right, there was nothing left in the past and only the present truly mattered. Only by moving forward could Nick hope to mend his broken heart. Perhaps with this woman, this gentle soul of compassion, could help him. Why should he still be afraid? If Helen wanted to wage her private war with him then so be it. If her thirst for vengeance had not been quenched through the eight years of watching him grieve then truly, was there any hope left for reconciliation? This was a war that Nick only wanted to end and if by escaping it it meant surrendering, then Nick was ready for that.

Another wave of contentedness spread through Nick as Claudia took her fingers through his hair once more. But this time Claudia lingered in the touch and let her fingers drift endlessly through the thickness of his long hair. There were times that she missed seeing the short hair for it often symbolized the steadfast leadership in a seemingly unchanging man. But times were different now and his hair grew long. And sadly, so did his face. Claudia knew even before the anomaly had brought the compys that Nick was hurting even more than before but no one had been able to tell her why. Only in this gentle acceptance of her touch comforted Claudia in the fact that Nick still had feelings for her.

Slowly Claudia let her hand work its way down to his neck where she gently massaged her fingers against his flesh. She brought her face closer to his so he knew that she was near and in a meek voice she said, "Let me take care of you."

Words failed Nick. For a moment he just sat there in suspended disbelief, the cup resting in his hand, ignored and drunk no more. More than anything he wanted to receive the care that Claudia was promising him; to continue feeling her gentle love in his heart. But what could he promise her? Claudia wanted to care for him, something that he would relish greatly. However, in his weakness at the moment, could he protect her? Though Claudia was a strong woman the last thing Nick wanted was for her to have to defend herself again him. That... Nick could no longer bear with. He had to protect her from his past.

"Claudia, I..."

The woman's fingers gently brushed against Nick's cheek and he felt himself drawing near to her. There was just no resisting that tenderness. He wanted to love her, he wanted to be in her care and just forget about everything. Did he have to be strong all of the time?

"Please," came Claudia's soft plea. Hurt touched her voice as she spoke and it echoed in the way she brushed the backs of her fingers against Nick's cheek. "Whatever you are fighting, I can help you overcome it. You saved my life and cared for me when you didn't have to. I want to be here for you now. Please Nick, let me help."

This was an offer Nick did not want to reject. The past, there was only the present. Going back could not change things. Nick let his gaze rest in Claudia's eyes and a faint smile came to his lips. "All right then," said he with his thick brogue weary with exhaustion, "You have convinced me; you can stay."

A soft laugh escaped Claudia and she let her fingers sift once more through his hair. There was no reason to be nervous around Nick, he was a protector. As she gently rubbed the back of Nick's neck, she whispered to him, "Thank you Nick."

"Claudia I--" Nick let out a heavy sigh and leaned even closer to the woman, "I do want you to stay...please, stay."

Hearing those words from him meant all the world to her and Claudia beamed with delight. His feelings were still true for her then. Her heart felt light and she continued to gently run her fingers through the few patches of clean hair. She would have to do something about the mud and the bits of tree debris that had made themselves home in Nick's hair. There was also the claw marks just above Nick's right eye that she made a mental note to later tend to. What a mess he was but also what a remarkable and most inspirational hero Nick truly was! And so she continued to weave her fingers through Nick's hair, letting the softness slide through her fingers before she set out to repeat this action.

As Nick began to slowly lean against her his eyes began to close. He could not fight the drowsiness and Claudia had made it all too simple for his mind to relax. It was serenity being massaged into his head and along his neck. It was everything that was still good and decent in his life being driven back into his heart. He needed this, he need this hope, this strength to continue onwards despite the betrayals. There were still those who loved him and believed in him. He could not fail them.

Nick's head rested gently against Claudia's shoulder, his fringe brushed softly against the woman's neck. Claudia smiled softly, her heart swooning at him trusting her like this. For once Nick was openly vulnerable and trusted her to care for him and not to hurt him. There was no way that Claudia could. She would fight Helen with fists flying if it was the only way to protect Nick. Claudia was prepared to even take on the Future Predator for his sake! This was a feeling unlike any other for truly she loved him.

* * *


	2. Shared Pain

**Characters:** Nick and Claudia  
**Spoilers:** None because the series isn't defined in this **  
A/N:** Thanks to _telperion_15_ for the idea and _fredbassett_ for the push to write this. Also a big thanks to _lukadreaming_ for being my beta on this! It's a little fluff-drabble inspired by the discussion of Nick's hair in series three. Also, I own nothing of "Primeval" that belongs to Impossible Pictures and I make no money from this, clearly.  
**Summary:** After a run-in with some compsognathus (compys), Nick isn't feeling well and Claudia tries to comfort him.

* * *

**II. Shared Pain**

"Nick?"

Claudia gently pushed his fringe to the side, revealing the second set of claw marks that the compsognathus had left the noble leader. There was nothing more frightening to Claudia than seeing someone she cared about injured. Though the claw marks were small and blessedly few in quantity, the memory of the pack of compys converging on Nick drew a sharp breath from the woman and she took great care to avoid touching Nick's injuries further. He seemed so tired as it was; weary from countless missions had certainly not helped in the matter. Perhaps this, and only this, was the reason why Nick looked ill.

"Nick..." Claudia again spoke to Nick as she gently moved her shoulder so that the man could lean against her more. "Nick, I don't mean to wake you up but I think you might be a bit more comfortable if you were lying down."

For a response Nick simply let his forehead rest more against Claudia's neck. His soft breath against her skin caused Claudia to shiver slightly. Even if this was to last for only a moment, Claudia promised to cherish it for as long as she could. Slowly Claudia turned her head and regarded Nick. She could see a small twig from the tree branch stuck in his hair and quickly Claudia gently removed it. Then she let her cheek rest lightly against Nick's head before she let out a quiet sigh.

There was nothing to fear here. Nick's house was ghostly quiet, allowing the rain pelting the roof to echo through the living room. They could be a happily married couple, her and Nick. And then this moment, lined with slight worry over the health of the sleeping man, would seem but a breath in the eternity that they shared together here in this house. It seemed so right and so perfectly fitting, to be with Nick in his time of need.

"Claudia..."

The woman jerked her eyes open, slightly surprised that she had fallen asleep. When Nick stirred, Claudia instinctively pulled her cheek from his head and gazed into his eyes, those searching blue eyes. But behind them lay a face etched with pain and hidden agony and the sudden paleness to Nick's cheeks brought out even more worry in the woman. Instinctively she put her hand against his cheek.

Nick's eyes softly smiled though his lips remained unmoving. There was hardly any warmth left in his skin and a frightened Claudia began to diligently rub her palm against Nick's cheeks in hopes of warming him. How could this have happened? She only shut her eyes for a few seconds and now Nick was looking worse than he did when she arrived at his doorstep?

"What's wrong Nick?" Claudia asked as she turned her body to face him. Her eyes gazed imploringly into Nick's for an answer but the man only had this to say:

"I think you're right that I should lie down."

"Please tell me what is wrong Nick! I need to know so I can help you get better!"

The tiniest of smirks sprouted along the firm line of exhaustion as Nick replied, "Do not worry about me Claudia, I will be fine."

"With you that is an impossible task."

Again Nick chuckled but he maintained his gaze with Claudia. "Those compys may have been small but as a unit, they are as mean as that raptor we got once. When they bite, they tear. I can't imagine what it must have been like for that dog that we had seen earlier mauled..."

"Nick!" Claudia gently interjected, taking a gentle hold of his chin with her hand. "Please, just tell me if you honestly went through the medical team to make sure that you were okay and none of those bites carried diseases."

"They said I was fine," replied Nick with an earnest smile in his eyes. "At the moment though, I do not feel like I am fine. I haven't been able to sleep much and when I do, it's nowhere near peaceful. When I fell under those compys and was trying to fight them off, I felt like I was losing--"

His words cut short as he realized what he was just about to tell Claudia. The way the woman was gazing at him with those soft eyes of hers, brimming with tears of worry, there was no way that Nick could bring himself to tell Claudia the truth. They were not just colleagues but teammates and they depended on one another for strength, encouragement, and guidance. Claudia needed to know that he was going to be all right.

Taking his hand to her cheek, Nick gently let his fingers brush away her tears as he whispered, "But you know, I am just tired. As you said, all I need to do is rest for a little bit."

But Claudia looked doubtful. That pallor did not simply vanish just because Nick said that he was going to be fine nor could a declaration of good health put warmth back into his skin. No, something was wrong with Nick and Claudia was determined to stay with him and help him through it. She would not let him down, she would not let anything happen to him as long as she could do something about it. Nick's voice soothed her troubled soul a little:

"Claudia, I promise you, all I need to do is rest."

His fingers pushed into Claudia's hair and the woman gave a soft little sigh. So much she wanted to throw her arms around Nick and hold him to her. So much she wanted to confess to him just how deep her love for him went and how she would be there to protect him. And so great was her fear for him.

"All right then Nick but you have to promise me that you will tell me if you start to feel any worse than you are right now."

Again Nick let his quiet eyes hold his expression as he replied, "I promise."

Claudia caught the slight smile of his resting on his lips and felt only slightly better. Taking in a healthy breath, the woman said, "All right then, if you just hold on I will remove myself from your couch and I'll get this blanket here," Claudia turned her body slightly to fetch the blanket that was draped over the top of the couch but as her fingers took hold of the thick cloth she felt the couch move.

Quickly she shifted her gaze back to Nick and saw that he was laying on the couch with his head resting in her lap. His eyes were closed and his lips pulled into a grimace as though he had been struck with something quite severe. Once more Claudia was hit with a rush of worry and she swept her fingers across Nick's hair, pulling his fringe from his eyes.

"Nick? What's wrong?"

"Just...dizzy..." came the feeble response. "I just need to shut my eyes for a moment. Claudia I--"

He tried to sit up but Claudia immediately pushed him back down. Her hand slid under his chin and the woman smiled tenderly down at him, "Don't worry about it Nick, I am here for you and protecting you. You are not well and at least this way," Claudia couldn't help a playful jest, "I can make sure that you are not trying to fake health wellness."

Nick just smirked but it was promptly followed by a wince. Sensing that this pain that Nick was experiencing was coming in sporadic strikes, Claudia took her fingers through Nick's long hair. With the tenderness of a woman cradled in love, Claudia gently removed the bits of tree and bush from Nick's hair before resuming her gentle caresses to Nick's hair. It was a sweet pleasure to be able to care for him; the lover of a warrior, guarding him over all that was wicked.

Down came the blanket and with the ease of someone long versed in the art of covering others, Claudia made sure that Nick would not be cold. Already he had drifted off to sleep and while most of her was glad for this, as Nick needed to let his body combat whatever was ailing him, Claudia could not help but fear this cold silence. For a while now she had depended on his strength to be an encouragement but now that he was unable to lead, it was up to her. She had to be his strength and his comfort.

"And I will do this for you Nick," Claudia whispered as she rubbed his chest soothingly. "Because you are our leader and you have taught us that we work together. And I want you to know, that even when you are injured or unable to help us, we can carry on and do the job that you have trained us for because you are a good teacher. So for the moment just sleep, sleep my dearest Nick."

As the rain continued to drive against the roof Claudia began to drift to sleep. Lured by the constant drumming of the water with the tender care over the sleeping Nick, it wasn't long before Claudia found herself asleep as well. But no sooner had she shut her eyes when a voice as bitter as the Arctic demanded in a hissing sneer:

"Just what do you think you are doing with my husband Miss Claudia Brown"

* * *


	3. Mad Woman Gumption

**Characters:** Nick, Claudia, and Helen  
**Spoilers:** None because the series isn't defined in this **  
A/N:** Thanks to _telperion_15_ for the idea and _fredbassett_ for the push to write this. Also a big thanks to _lukadreaming_ for being my beta on this! It's a little fluff-drabble inspired by the discussion of Nick's hair in series three. Also, I own nothing of "Primeval" that belongs to Impossible Pictures and I make no money from this, clearly.  
**Summary:** After a run-in with some compsognathus (compys), Nick isn't feeling well and Claudia tries to comfort him. Complications arise when Helen shows up at Nick's house and confronts Claudia

* * *

**III. Mad Woman - Gumption**

"I asked you a question," growled the icy woman. There seemed to be a slice of delight in the woman's voice as if the mere thought of intruding upon something serene was but candy to a child. The question repeated itself, "What do you think you are doing with my husband?"

Forcefully driven awake by the cruelty in the voice, Claudia had no choice but to accept that she could no longer rest. Lifting her head from the back of the couch, Claudia stared at Helen and repressed a smirk. By the holes running across Helen's pants and the mess of mud and grass stains running along whatever wasn't torn it appeared as though Helen had a fight with nature itself. This would not surprise Claudia if it was true. To her, Helen was as untamed as a tiger and just as cunning.

Regaining a sense of composure, Claudia ignored the previous question and instead inquired lightly, "Was the great spirit of the past too much to handle this time Helen?"

The older woman gave a sniff of amusement before she responded in an even voice, "It was quite the contrary Miss Brown." She took a few steps forward and in her arms was a compsognathus. Helen observed Claudia tensing at the night of the small creature and grinned in delight. Her voice purred, "I found it to be quite pleasurable."

The bird-like creature with a thin neck and pointed face twisted its head around and chirped at Claudia. The coldness of its screech caused Claudia to jump slight and she began rubbing Nick's chest furiously. But Nick slept on, blissfully unaware of the danger that stalked in his living room. Claudia felt her heart quicken at Nick's unresponsiveness and immediately upon hearing Helen's voice again jerked her head up. This time she found that Helen was standing only three feet from the couch.

"I do not want to have to ask you this again, Claudia, but what are you doing with my husband?"

Claudia swallowed hard, her hand now at rest over Nick's chest. In a voice that reflected her unwillingness to be intimidated by this scornful woman, Claudia replied, "I am making sure that Nick got home safely from the last adventure."

"Why wouldn't he be all right?" Helen asked as she shifted from one foot to another. The tiny predator in her arms emitted a guttural caw, causing Claudia to cringe some. She hated those spiny little cretins! Inevitably her gaze was drawn back to Helen as the woman pressed, "He was able to drag himself to his sad little home and well... fall asleep. I would say that he's doing just lovely."

Claudia looked back down at Nick and saw contrary to Helen's statement. It seemed that Nick was even more sickly than she had remembered. Wasn't it only a few seconds ago that he had color in his cheeks? Now he seemed to show no color whatsoever. Closing her eyes, Claudia tried to calm her racing heart. Was he getting sicker? But how could he be sick when the medics said that he was fine? She furiously thought, "Get a grip Claudia! It's just the dim light in the house playing tricks on your mind!" Opening her eyes, Claudia absently took her hand through Nick's long hair and thought, "See, he's fine, just fine."

Smoothing the fringe back, Claudia let her hand slide gently down Nick's cool cheek as she finally responded, "I'm also making sure that Nick is getting his proper rest since he has been pushing himself to make sure that none of these creatures hurt others or themselves."

"Oh yes, Nick is quite the compassionate sort," said Helen with a sneering chuckle. "But clearly my husband is fine and you can go about on your way now."

Instinct told Claudia to leave however as her eyes rested on the crafty little hunter in Helen's arms she knew that she couldn't leave. After all that was said to Nick and all his gratitude for her being there, Claudia would not go. Letting her right hand travel tenderly over Nick's chest, Claudia concentrated her gaze upon the man she loved while responding to Helen in a firm, defiant tone:

"Nick invited me to stay. He is not well and I am looking after him."

"That is my job."

Nick had been courageous that day, saving the corner man with the business sign from the pack of compys. Fearlessly Nick had drawn the pack of savage hunters away and providing the escape for the man. However, such heroism could not go without consequences. Claudia knew how close that she had come to losing him. As she took in a quiet breath to calm herself, Claudia touched Nick's chin lightly with her fingers. Her love wove through the gentle care that she gave him, an endless stream of affection.

"Helen--" Claudia lifted her head at last and stared directly into Helen's dark and ominous gaze, "You left Nick over eight years ago. You came back through and watched him grieve for all these years. He could never forget you because he could never stop loving you. Yet you, you still left him with his bleeding heart. Do you honestly think that if you are caring for him, that you are doing a very good job?"

The warrior stiffened at the harshness of the words. Though delivered like a gentle breath, it was nothing but a cold wind in the dead of winter. Helen's eyes narrowed and she took another step forward, this causing Claudia to promptly wrap her arm protectively across Nick's chest.

Helen sneered, "Finally bold, are we Miss Brown? Don't forget that it was I who saved you from death. Where was Nick when you were really in a fix? He had left! What makes you think that he even remotely cares for you? What gives you such audacity to ask me if I actually care about him?"

Nothing could stop the pounding in Claudia's chest. She wanted to yell at Helen, expose her for the devious woman that she was! What woman could be so cruel to their husband and watch him suffer every second of his life without wanting to intervene? Helen was human but seemingly without compassion! How could she expect warmth returned to her? Claudia forced her gaze away from Helen for a moment and quieted her rapid breath. She couldn't respond in anger. That was precisely what Helen wanted.

Taking in a quiet breath, Claudia replied in the most patient voice that she could muster, "Because... because I love him, Helen." The words drew silence from the sulking woman and for a moment all that could be heard was the soft growling of the compy. The evil little thing! Ignoring the creature, Claudia continued, "Even if he does not care for me as I do, I will continue loving him and showing him all the affection that I have to offer simply because he changed my world and I am so deeply in love with him."

"Is that so?" Helen inquired with a raise of her brow.

Even though the woman said very little, Claudia could tell that Helen was plotting something. It was evident within her dark eyes the constant calculating that Helen was doing. Slowly Claudia began to move Nick and as she did so she hoped that Nick would wake up. But he was so lifeless in her arms that Claudia doubted that anything could wake him at this point.

"I wonder..." cooed the cold voice of Helen, "...if something were to happen to Nick and let's say he was..." the woman tilted her head and grinned wickedly at Claudia, "unconscious... would little Miss Brown be able to defend herself?"

Claudia froze, her fingers gently gripping at Nick's shirt. More of the compys's growling filled Claudia's ears and slowly her breathing increased. A single compy couldn't kill her, could it? Surely not! Claudia gently pulled Nick up into her arms and watched as his head rolled against her shoulder. Panic turned Claudia's blood cold and she gingerly began brushing Nick's cheek, calling out loudly to him:

"Nick! Wake up! Nick!"

"Sorry... but he can't hear you right now," smirked Helen as she began stroking the back of the small predator. The olive creature began chirping and waggled its arms briefly before nuzzling the woman affectionately.

Claudia turned a tear-filled gaze at Helen, demanding, "What did you do to him?"

"What I did?" Helen tossed her head to the side and let out a short laugh. "Oh, it wasn't me... the funny thing about these compsognathus is that they learn to trust things, especially those who are nice to them."

"What did you do to Nick!" Claudia nearly yelled, fighting the rage that was turning her fear into rage.

Amused at Claudia's grief, Helen replied in an infuriatingly serene voice, "Compys are better than watchdogs. They're small and agile, and in large groups, no human can defeat them."

"You -- tamed-- them?"

"That," smirked Helen as she puffed her chest with pride, "and more..."

Claudia slowly moved from under Nick and set him carefully back down on the couch. She pushed his hair back and placed a loving kiss t o the side of his nose. Though what Helen had in mind to do to her sent sold waves of fear down her spine, Claudia was determined to protect Nick. Taking one last look at Nick, Claudia gently caressed Nick's cheek before rising. She faced Helen and squared her shoulders.

"Your quarrel is with me Helen," said Claudia. "What is it that you want?"

Helen took another step closer to Claudia, the little compy growled at the other woman and snapped at her clothing. However Claudia remained still and simply lifted her chin slightly in absolute defiance to what she knew was on Helen's mind. The devious grin of Helen's grew but Claudia would not be bullied by this woman.

"I want you to disappear," whispered Helen. "And I am going to make sure that happens... by the very person whom you love..."

"I'm not afraid of you," said Claudia in an unwavering voice full of confidence. "You will find that I am not so easily defeated."

"Is that so?" Helen smirked a little before nodding her head in the adjacent kitchen. "Then what do you propose to do about all of them?"

Was this a trick? Finding herself unavoidably drawn to this mystery, Claudia adverted her gaze. Her eyes widened and her knees weakened. In an instant her heart began beating against her chest and it took all that was within her not to back away for along the table, the counters, and across the floor, was the pack of compys that they had earlier sent back through the anomaly.

"My my..." grinned Helen coolly. "What a predicament we have here. Are you not happy to see all twenty of them? Tell me Miss Brown, what is your grand strategy now that your brave hero is not here to save you?"

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End file.
